"It's alright, I understand how you feel."
Nearl maintained her gentle smile, hoping to ease the other's current embarrassment.
Otherwise, this crystal-clear girl might just start boiling over from shyness.
"Ahem, I'm fine now. I really lost my composure there."
Having calmed herself, Ardan readjusted her crutches, trying hard to regain her usual elegant and dignified demeanor.
But the moment she saw Nearl's smiling face, she immediately felt her resolve crumbling.
"Ugh... I can't do it. I feel like I just can't act normally around Miss Nearl."
'Even though I wanted to put on a calm smile, being near Miss Nearl just makes my emotions so much more lively, and I feel this urgent desire to talk.'
Inside, it was as if a little version of herself was rolling around on the floor—a mix of complicated feelings and shyness, her personality showing an unusual sense of relaxation.
"Well then, how about this, Miss Ardan?"
After a moment's thought, Nearl offered a suggestion.
"After all, I've only just met you and don't know much about you yet. In other words, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between how you are now and how you usually are."
"Doesn't that make you feel a bit better?"
"As far as I'm concerned, the you I know is only the you of this early morning, this very moment. Your past doesn't exist in my eyes."
The anxiety in her heart was soothed by Nearl's words. Gazing at Nearl's earnest expression, Ardan felt her thoughts begin to drift.
A bittersweet, prickly sensation coiled within her, making even her fingertips tingle slightly.
"Then... is it really okay?"
Ardan asked Nearl cautiously.
"Can I... let myself be a little more unrestrained right now?"
"Please, feel free. It certainly doesn't diminish your charm in the slightest."
Nearl cracked a joke, which made Ardan cover her mouth with a light laugh.
"What kind of line is that? So cheesy, ahaha..."
Nearl's joke successfully lightened the mood, helping Ardan regain her usual composure.
She wasn't as flustered as before now, but the number of times her eyes wandered toward Nearl had noticeably increased.
"Let's return to our earlier topic, Miss Nearl. Are you also interested in Chinese culture?"
(T/N: Japan is literally next to China, and Kanji originates from Chinese. So it won't be that weird for her to be interested...?)
The path here was relatively smooth, so Ardan paid less attention to her footing and diverted her focus back to continuing their previous conversation.
"...I suppose you could say I'm quite interested."
Nearl responded with a slightly complicated mood. "I ended up learning a lot about China because of it. You could almost call me a China expert now."
"Wow, so do Chinese people really know kung fu?" Ardan asked with great interest.
"It's not as mystical as outsiders imagine. Kung fu does exist, but things like 'walking on water,' 'soaring up stairs,' or 'dragon-subduing eighteen palms' are purely fictional. It's merely just another martial art."
As they walked together along the mountain path, the sky was only just beginning to brighten. The dim trail relied on the faint glow of streetlamps along the side.
The evergreen trees planted on both sides remained lush even in this season. Under the hazy lamplight, the path was dappled with shadows, creating an eerie and intimidating atmosphere.
But the laughter and conversation between the two horse girls effortlessly dispelled the gloomy and frightening scene. What should have been a spooky setting instead took on a rosy, warm ambiance as they passed through.
"What about those ancient poems? I'd love to hear about those."
"Let me recite one for you in Chinese first."
"You're already that fluent in Chinese?!"
"Of course. My favorite poem is called 'The Hard Road to Shu'..."
Under the fading starlight, the two horse girls chatted and laughed as they made their way up the mountain.
The scene was so beautifully serene that anyone who saw it would unconsciously break into a smile.
Especially the one with the light blue hair—the last traces of melancholy that had clung to her earlier had now completely vanished, leaving only joy in her wake.
Ardan had been right—this mountain path was indeed much shorter than the main road.
But she lacked experience and had completely forgotten that although such paths were shorter, they were also much steeper than the main route.
It wasn't impossible to walk, but it was quite inconvenient with crutches. In the end, Ardan ended up on Nearl's back.
"Don't worry about it. It's the path's fault—you're injured, after all. Besides, if we don't hurry, the sun will be up soon, won't it?"
Noticing Ardan lying silently on her back, Nearl patiently reassured her.
"..."
Ardan was too embarrassed to speak, her face flushed bright red as she pressed tightly against Nearl's shoulder. Her tail wagged so fast it nearly resembled a fan.
She wasn't actually as shy as Nearl imagined. Being carried by someone else was ordinary enough—while it would make her blush, Ardan would never be too embarrassed to speak.
The reason for her current speechless shyness was that only after she climbed onto Nearl's back did she notice the placement of Nearl's earring.
'Why is it on the left ear?!'
Ardan wailed inwardly.
'Now it looks like I'm taking advantage of Miss Nearl! No—I really am taking advantage of her, aren't I?!'
Feeling the rhythm of Nearl's steps and surrounded by her sun-like scent, Ardan felt incredibly rude.
Fortunately, the last steep section of the mountain path wasn't very long. Nearl soon carried Ardan up to the viewing platform at the summit.
The moment they reached their destination, Ardan hurriedly slid off Nearl's back, not daring to delay even half a second.
Once she had her crutches back in place, she turned away from Nearl and took several deep breaths. Only when she could no longer feel the heat in her face did she manage to put on a smile and turn back.
"Thank you so much for your help, Nearl. I think the greatest reward from coming out today has been making a friend like you."
"That's high praise indeed. I'm honored."
Nearl was also happy that she could be of help.
"Please have a seat on that bench over there. I'll go buy some tissues for you."
Pointing toward a wooden bench and a distant vending machine, Nearl made the suggestion.
"Huh?"
Ardan was stunned for a moment before following Nearl's gaze to her own elbow.
The skin there was smeared with dirt, alongside a few traces of blood.
"Did I get hurt when I fell earlier?"
Because the lighting earlier had been far dimmer than the bright lights of the mountain-top platform, Ardan had overlooked her condition.
Looking more closely, she noticed quite a few stains on her clothes as well.
"My image..."
She covered her face in dismay.
"Don't worry."
In the short time it took to say this, Nearl had already rushed to the vending machine and returned with tissues and a bottle of water in hand.
"Here, let me help you clean the wound on your elbow first. It doesn't look like it's bleeding much, but it's still best to wipe it clean."
Soaking a tissue with mineral water, Nearl held it out as she asked Ardan.
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T/N: Type Moon x Multiverse Fic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.